On the one hand, you have legal procedural shows like Law and Order, Scandal, The Wire and Boston Legal that have always been able to spark our interest. On the other, there are White Collar, Leverage and others that feature con artists or good guys who get a second chance.
Suits, the drama series on Comedy Central, that was launched in 2011 and came to India this March, is a nice mix of the two. About a brilliant college dropout, Mike Ross (Patrick J Adams), who is on the run and teams up with a corporate lawyer in New York, it is fun, celebrates professional U-turns and is known for its bromance. Adam tells us why the show isn’t procedural in nature and shares his excitement after being nominated for a Primetime Emmy.
I am discovering how to take hold of my life a little more. The process of even making this show has been a real leap forward in the same way it is for Mike Ross. What inspired me most about Mike was the idea of getting to a place in your life where you make the decision to go after what you really wanted to do. And in my own life that’s been a really interesting sort of decision-to take on some of the fears.
There are times when Mike is still just a young kid. Trying to figure his way out, he makes colossal mistakes. Specter just has to get him straight. The most interesting parts about their relationship are the times when Mike pulls through for Harvey.
Often, you see that each of the characters has two sides. Aaron Korsh, the show creator, wrote a great script. They are shown as confident, but underneath each of them are tonnes of weaknesses. In each episode, the first few minutes are quite light, with witty banter, and that sets the pace. But as soon as the challenges start coming up, you see that these people are actually struggling, and most of us can relate to that.
I started down the legal route and spoke to some lawyer friends for preparation. What drew me to it was the fact that this was about someone who was tackling his fears. So for my preparation, I quit smoking which I had always wanted to do. And I got my motorcycle license. In my own life I was just sort of lining up the things that were scaring me.
When I heard about my nomination for the SAG Award, I was super excited.
I was nominated because of my experience as an actor which has been defined by the struggle to be taken seriously. This energy and effort has been proved while playing the character of Mike.
Suits airs weekdays on Comedy Central at 10:30 pm